Kroger workers allege massive wage theft: "I'm tired of having to beg"

[Omaha Steve]

By Tesnim Zekeria 2 hr ago

In 2022, Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the country, launched "MyTime" — a new payroll system that Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen claimed would “simplify day-to-day work.” Kroger touted MyTime as a testament to how much the grocery store chain cares about its associates. But since its roll-out, MyTime has been a nightmare for thousands of Kroger employees across the country. Glitches with MyTime have resulted in a host of problems, including missing pay and incomplete checks.

The fallout has been especially brutal for workers who live paycheck to paycheck. Multiple Kroger associates told Popular Information that they’ve missed rent payments and bills, overdrawn their bank accounts, or been forced to take out loans due to missing or reduced pay. Kroger’s slow response to resolving the issues with MyTime has only exacerbated the crisis. “I’m tired of having to beg for pay that’s due to me,” one Kroger employee told Popular Information. All the workers who spoke to Popular Information did so on the condition of anonymity due to concerns that speaking out would impact their current or future employment.

On January 19, a group of Kroger associates from Virginia and West Virginia filed a lawsuit against the grocery store arguing that “their employer has engaged in a widespread wage theft resulting from repeated and ongoing problems with payroll.”

The lawsuit asserts that workers have had to deal with missing or late paychecks, paychecks for amounts less than are they owed, and unauthorized and/or incorrect deductions or withholdings. One plaintiff in the case did not receive any pay for the five weeks they worked at Kroger, leaving her no option but to resign. Another plaintiff had their copay for spousal insurance deducted twice for seven weeks, meaning they were taking home less than they were owed. In both cases, Kroger was made “aware of these issues,” but thus far “has failed to correct them.”

FULL story: https://popular.info/p/kroger-workers-allege-massive-wage?